THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka
[(iv) MENTALITY-MATERIALITY / NAMARUPA]
186. For the clause 'With consciousness as condition, mentality-material-
ity':
(1) By analysis of mind and matter,
(2) Occurrence in becoming, et cetera,
(3) Inclusion, and (4) manner of condition,
The exposition should be known.
187. 1. By analysis of mind and matter: here 'mind' (ndma—mental-
ity) is the three aggregates, that is, feeling, perception, and formations,
because of their bending (namana) on to the object. 'Matter' (rupa—
materiality) is the four great primary elements and the materiality de-
rived [by clinging] from the four great primaries. Their analysis is given
in the Description of the Aggregates (Ch. XIV, §34f. and §125f.). This,
in the first place, is how the exposition of mentality-materiality should
be known 'by analysis'.
188. 2. By occurrence in becoming, et cetera: excepting one abode of
beings, [that is, the non-percipient,] mentality occurs in all the kinds of
becoming, generation, destiny, and station of consciousness, and in the
remaining abodes of beings. Materiality occurs in two kinds of becom-
ing, four kinds of generation, five destinies, the first four stations of con-
sciousness, and the first five abodes of beings.
189. Now when this mentality-materiality occurs thus, [559] then in the
case of sexless embryos and the egg-born, at the moment of their rebirth-
linking there are manifested as materiality two organic continuities, that
is, the two decads of physical basis and body, and also the three immate-
rial aggregates. So in their case there are in detail these twenty-three
states, namely, twenty states as concrete matter and three immaterial
aggregates, which should be understood as 'mentality-materiality with
consciousness as condition'. But omitting repetitions,
35
and so cancelling
nine material instances (see Ch. XI, §88) from one of the organic conti-
nuities, fourteen states remain.
By adding the sex decad for those possessed of sex [before making
the above cancellation] there are thirty-three. And omitting repetitions
and so cancelling eighteen material instances [nine each] from two of the
organic continuities, in this case fifteen states remain.
190. At the moment of rebirth-linking of those of Brahma's Retinue,
among apparitionally born beings, four organic continuities are mani-
fested as materiality, that is, the decads of eye, ear, and physical basis,
and the ennead of the life faculty, and three immaterial aggregates. So in
their case in detail these forty-two states, namely, thirty-nine states as
concrete materiality and three immaterial aggregates, should be under-
stood as 'mentality-materiality with consciousness as condition'. But
omitting repetitions and so cancelling twenty-seven instances of materi-
ality [nine each] from three of the organic continuities, fifteen states
remain.
191. In the sense-sphere becoming, seven organic continuities are mani-
fested as materiality, and also three immaterial aggregates at the moment
of rebirth-linking of the remaining kinds of apparitionally born or of the
moisture-born possessing sex and matured sense bases. So in their case
in detail these seventy-three states, namely, seventy instances of con-
crete materiality and three immaterial aggregates, should be understood
as 'mentality-materiality with formations as condition'. But omitting
repetitions and so cancelling fifty-four material instances [nine each]
from six of the organic continuities, nineteen states remain.
This is the maximum. But at minimum the computation of 'mental-
ity-materiality with consciousness as condition' in the rebirth-linking of
those who lack such and such an organic continuity can be understood in
brief and detail by reducing it appropriately. [The blind, for instance,
lack the eye decad.]
192. For mentality-materiality immaterial beings have only the three
[mental] aggregates; while non-percipient beings have only the life-fac-
ulty ennead, and that represents materiality.
193. In the course of an existence, in all places where materiality occurs
there is manifested the temperature-originated bare [material] octad, which
is due [initially] to the temperature that occurred together with the re-
birth-linking consciousness at the moment of its presence.
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Rebirth-
linking consciousness does not originate materiality. For, just as a man
who is falling into a chasm cannot support another, so it, too, is unable
to originate materiality because of its weakness, which is due to the
weakness of the physical basis. But from the first life-continuum after
the rebirth-linking consciousness onwards, [560] the bare octad origi-
nated by consciousness appears. And at the time when sound becomes
manifest there is the sound ennead due both to temperature occurring
after the moment of rebirth-linking and to consciousness.
194. The bare octad originated by nutriment appears in beings in the
womb who live on matter consisting of physical nutriment as soon as
their body is suffused by nutriment swallowed by the mother; for it is
said:
'And so it is that when his mother
Eats, consuming food and drink,
One hidden in his mother's womb
Thereby obtains his nourishment' (S.i,206).
And it appears in apparitionally born beings as soon as they first
swallow the spittle that has come into their own mouths.
So, with the twenty-six [material instances] consisting of the bare
octad originated by nutriment, and of the, at most, two [sound] enneads
originated respectively by temperature and consciousness, and also with
the already-mentioned seventy kamma-originated instances (§191) that
arise three times in each conscious moment [at the instants of arising,
presence, and dissolution], there are thus ninety-six material instances;
and with the three immaterial aggregates there is thus a total of ninety-
nine states.
195. Or because sound is not regularly present since it is only sometimes
manifested, subtracting it therefore as twofold [being temperature-origi-
nated and consciousness-originated], there are these ninety-seven states
to be understood as 'mentality-materiality with consciousness as condi-
tion' in all beings, according as it happens to be produced. For whether
these beings are sleeping or idling or eating or drinking, these states
keep on occurring in them day and night with consciousness as condi-
tion. And we shall explain later how they have consciousness as their
condition (see §200ff.).
196. Now although this kamma-born materiality is the first to find a
footing in the several kinds of becoming, generation, destiny, station of
consciousness, and abode of beings, it is nevertheless unable to carry on
without being consolidated by materiality of triple origination [by con-
sciousness, temperature, and nutriment], nor can that of triple origination
do so without being consolidated by the former. But when they thus give
consolidating support to each other, they can stand up without falling,
like sheaves of reeds propped together on all four sides, even though
battered by the wind, and like [boats with] broken floats
37
that have
found a support, even though battered by waves somewhere in mid-
ocean, and they can last one year, two years ... a hundred years, until
those beings' life span or their merit is exhausted.
This is how the exposition should be understood here 'by occur-
rence in becoming et cetera'.
197. 3. By inclusion: now there is (a) the simple mentality with con-
sciousness as condition in both the course of an existence and rebirth-
linking in the immaterial sphere, and in the course of an existence in the
five-constituent becoming, and (b) the simple materiality with conscious-
ness as condition in both cases among the non-percipient, and in the
course of an existence in the five-constituent becoming, and (c) the
[combined] mentality-materiality [561] with consciousness as condition
in both cases in the five-constituent becoming. All that mentality and
materiality and mentality-materiality should be understood as 'mentality-
materiality with consciousness as condition', including them under men-
tality-materiality according to the method that allows any one part to
represent any remaining one of its kind.
38
198. Is this correct in view of the absence of consciousness in non-per-
cipient beings?—It is not incorrect. For:
This consciousness, as cause of mind
And matter, is twice reckoned:
Result, and also not-result.
Wherefore this is correctly said.
199. The consciousness that is the cause of mentality-materiality is reck-
oned to be twofold classed as resultant and not resultant. And since in
the case of non-percipient beings materiality is originated by kamma, it
has as its condition kamma-formation consciousness that occurred in the
five-constituent becoming. This applies also to the kamma-originated
materiality arising in the course of an existence in the five-constituent
becoming at the moment of profitable or any other consciousness. So
this is correct.
This is how the exposition can also be known here 'by inclusion'.
200. 4. By manner of condition: here:
Resultant-consciousness conditions
Mentality first in nine ways,
Then basis matter in nine ways,
And other matter in eight ways;
Formation-consciousness conditions
This matter in a single way.
The rest of consciousness conditions
This matter as the case may be.
201. Rebirth-linking or some other kind of resultant consciousness is a
condition in nine ways, as conascence, mutuality, support, association,
kamma-result, nutriment, faculty, presence, and non-disappearance con-
ditions, either at rebirth-linking or in the course of an existence, for that
mentality called resultant, whether mixed with materiality or not. At
rebirth-linking it is a condition in nine ways, as conascence, mutuality,
support, kamma-result, nutriment, faculty, dissociation, presence, and
non-disappearance conditions, for the materiality of the physical [heart-]
basis. It is a condition in eight ways, namely, as the above conditions
omitting the mutuality condition, for materiality other than the material-
ity of the physical basis.
Kamma-formation consciousness is a condition in one way only, as
decisive-support condition, for the materiality of non-percipient beings,
or for the kamma-born materiality in the five-constituent becoming,
according to the Suttanta method.
All the remaining kinds of consciousness from the time of the first
life-continuum [consciousness following rebirth-linking] onwards should
be understood as a condition for some kind of mentality-materiality as
appropriate. But since the whole contents of the Patthana must be cited
in order to show how it acts in detail, we do not undertake that.
202. Here it may be asked: 'But how is it to be known [562] that the
mentality-materiality of rebirth-linking has consciousness as its condi-
tion?'. From the Suttas and from logic. For in the Suttas it is established
in many places that feeling, etc., have consciousness as condition in the
way beginning * States with parallel occurrence through consciousness'
(Dhs. §1522). But as to logic:
From matter seen here to be born
Of consciousness a man can tell
That consciousness is a condition
For matter when unseen as well.
Whether consciousness likes it or not, [certain] material instances
are seen to arise in conformity with it. And the unseen is inferred from
the seen. So it can be known, by means of the consciousness-born materi-
ality that is seen, that consciousness is also a condition for the unseen
materiality of rebirth-linking. For it is said in the Patthana that, like the
consciousness-originated, also the kamma-originated has consciousness
as its condition (see Ptn. 1,172-73).
This is how the exposition should be known 'by manner of condi-
tion'.
This is the detailed explanation of the clause 'With consciousness as
condition, mentality-materiality'.
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